hey friends! it's been awhile, but i'm back. i don't know about you, but winter kind of puts me in a deep hole. i mean it is scientifically proven that winter can make depression and anxiety worse, hence why i haven't blogged since november (oops).

but like seriously, does anyone else feel like the holidays are just about the busyness, stress, chaos, craziness, etc? i mean it's Christmas eve eve and i still haven't ordered my dad his Christmas present, i haven't given my secret santa the second half of her gift yet, my face is breaking out like there is no tomorrow, my eczema is attacking me, and don't even get me started on my depression. i just feel like i've forgotten why we even celebrate Christmas. can you relate? i'm sure you can, because you are human, aren't you?

i don't want to just talk about stress and depression, because that's not what this post is for (peep a future post maybe). i want to give myself and maybe you some steps you can take on this Christmas eve eve to center yourself with God and remember the reason why we're celebrating.

so often we get distracted by the last minute gift buying and stress of getting everything ready, that we forget what Christmas is actually about, Jesus.

— aubs (@aubreysanne) December 23, 2017

before i give us these steps, because we are in this together, let me just set the scene and tell you the story of Christmas. so now imagine you're sitting in your snowflake pajama pants, sipping on a warm beverage. the tree is adorned with soft white lights and ornaments from your childhood. the fire is crackling and Christmas classics are playing in the distance. you spot the manger under the Christmas tree, portraying the greatest event of all time, the birth of our Savior.

approximately 2020 years ago, a baby was born. this baby wasn't just any baby, He was born to a young virgin woman, in a manger, surrounded by animals. this baby was God in the flesh, He was to be light in a dark world. He came to save sinners, to love the broken, to take the punishment that we all deserve. yeah presents are pretty cool, but what's even cooler is that God came down to earth in the most vulnerable form, a baby, to give us the gift of salvation.

so now that you've been reminded of the greatest thing that has ever happen, let's move onto some steps you can take to remember this everyday of the year, but especially through the next few days when chaos tries to overwhelm you.

01) sit and listen. right when you wake up just sit and listen. don't say anything. just let God speaks to you. we typically grab our phones and see what everyone is up to before we can even hear God's voice. He might have something really important to tell you, so take a second and breathe.

02) open your Bible. try opening to a random page and just start reading. underline anything that stands out to you. ponder on words that you need to hear.

03) grab a pen and some paper. write out your thoughts. i'm not a good talker, but i like to think i'm a good writer. maybe you'd rather just talk to God, either way, He'll hear what you have to say. He wants to spend time with you.

04) go to church. attend a Christmas eve service or even a Christmas day service. if you're in the metro detroit area check out northridge church tomorrow. and if you're in the grand rapids area check out crossroads tomorrow or on Christmas.

05) ask for help. many times we feel like we're weak when we ask for help, but i think we're more weak when we pretend we're fine. we are all broken, so seek help if you need it. talk to a pastor, talk to a friend, or talk to a mental health professional(use code GRANDVALLEYAS). God gave us resources, it's time we use them.

so i hope these helped you out, because now i'm gonna go spend some time with the man who started this all, Jesus. hopefully i'll be back to blog after Christmas, if not it'll be after passion (oh yeah I'm going to passion in dc! if you'll be there tweet me, or tweet me even if you're not going.) anyways, Merry Christmas friends! love you all lots.

xoxo, Aubrey 

excerpt from my journal no. 37

It's Christmas Eve Eve, which means it's Journal excerpt time: The Christmas edition! I'm not going to say anything else, so here is my journal excerpt and a great gif from Friends, because I love Friends.

12/20/16

There is so much we get wrong about Christmas. It's not about cute mugs and hot cocoa, Christmas trees covered in elaborate ornaments, or millions of materialistic gifts. It is about love. Jesus' birth was exactly that. God sent himself down in the form of a baby, the most vulnerable form. He felt all the pain and suffering we felt. He healed the sick and raised the dead to life. Jesus came down to save us. He bled for our sins because he loves us. Christmas is about love. Are we showing Jesus our love this Christmas? Are we sharing his love? 

Well there you have it! I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully!

xoxo, Aubrey

tis the season of giving

I strongly believe the only gift anyone really needs this Christmas is the gift of King Jesus, but because people wanted a gift guide, I am going to make one. And because I am broke and I assume many of you also don't have more than $10 to spend on people, this guide will all be under $10. (just an fyi, if you want to get me anything, I will gladly accept a dog that I can hide in my dorm room, or my own personal Trader Joe's that I can shop at all the time.)

For your faithful friends (about $7): These people probably won't ask for anything from you because they want everything for you, so instead you could get them The Message. The Message is Eugene Peterson's translation of the Bible into contemporary language. It's not much different than other versions of the Bible, it just makes more sense, I guess.

For your coffee loving friends (about $10): 3 words: Coffee Care Package! I literally just came up with this idea, seriously! All you need is a cute mug (that you probably found on the sale rack or took from your own personal collection), some coffee (Trader Joe's wake-up blend!), and maybe some cream and sugar? I personally think it's adorable and cheap so it's automatically amazing, right?

For your earthy friends (about $9): Do you have that one friend who is into earthing (me) or essential oils (also me)? Then this is seriously going to be perfect for them! Get them a car diffuser! I personally love diffusing some peppermint and wild orange during the winter because it always lightens my spirit, tell them I said that!

For your artsy friends (about $10): Seriously just get them some crayons and call it a day. Since you can't sense sarcasm on the internet, I'll just tell you that I am being sarcastic! Put some effort in this, go to Michael's and pick out some cool watercolors and some brushes. Artsy friends are cool because they love art supplies and never have enough, so just get them some more!

For your athletic friends (about $10-$15): My athletic friends are cool and all, but really stop showing off (I'm being sarcastic again)! Probably just get them a gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods and go with them because quality time. I seriously don't know what athletic people want for Christmas, other than to make you more athletic. (ex: Chris Traeger and Ann Perkins)

For your foodie friends (about $10): Have you ever been to Trader Joe's or TJmaxx and seen some food that was super weird, but somehow seemed good? Okay now go and grab all of those foods, put them in a gift basket, and deliver it to your foodie friends! Merry Christmas Foodies, you're welcome!

Okay I hope these helped a little bit! I hope you also enjoyed my sarcasm, it is my middle name (Aubrey Sarcasm Sochacki)!

Feel free to scratch all my ideas and come up with your own because I have to admit, some of these are terrible. Anyways, happy gift giving! That's what this season is all about!

"Love is generous!" 

xoxo, Aubrey

excerpt from my journal no. 36

hello sweet little elves! I go home for break tomorrow and I could not be more excited! I miss demon dog. I miss my bed. I miss my church. But most of all, I miss my family!

Okay, here's that journal excerpt you've been waiting for!

11/29/16

my thoughts on soulmates

soulmates! AHHH!!! do they exist? do you have more than one? i don't actually know, but here is what i think. i think they exist and i think we have more than one. i think we have a soulmate in everything we do. like i say that angela and amanda are a couple of my soulmates because we just know exactly what the other needs. i believe that we all have one romantic soulmate who we are meant to spend the rest of our lives with (have you found them? who knows. have i found them? lol). i believe we have many friend soulmates who just understand us and are "our person/people" (i have these people, do you?). i believe we have those soulmates who are the ones who just make our lives better, like your parents or people who don't fit in the other two categories. soulmates are a beautiful thing, knowing that there are people on this earth who were made to do life with you, it’s truly an amazing thing.

when i get worried that i’ll be single forever, i just remember this idea of soulmates. i remember that i have one romantic soulmate who i am meant to be with and i get less worried. i don’t know who are they are, if i’ve met them, or when i’ll realize who they are. all i know is that they’re out there. in the meantime, i have my other soulmates.

Okay 11 days until Christmas! As KB would say, "get turnt, get lit sideways" for Christmas! See ya over the holiday season!

xoxo, Aubs

excerpt from my journal no. 35

hello friends! I hope this cold weather isn't getting you down, even though it sucks. Just remember that maybe God will call you someplace warm in the near future!

Anyways, here is a great journal excerpt that I wrote a day ago!

12/08/16

this is why i stopped asking God to show me signs

it took me so many years of my life to realize that God showed me signs all the time, that i never needed to ask. i didn’t need Him to show me  a sign that he wasn’t the one for me, i didn’t need Him to show me a sign that i was in the right place, i didn’t need a sign that i was at the right church, or that i had the right major. i just needed to pay attention, He was already showing me signs.

God shows us things and speaks to us everyday. most of the time, were just too busy to notice.

take for instance, a new person in your life. did you even think twice about why they’re here? why they’re in your life? i usually don’t think about it. the reality is that God put them there for a reason, they have a purpose in your life. God doesn’t just put people in your life for empty reasons, He does everything with a purpose. He does everything because He loves you.

open up your eyes, listen for his voice. He is all around you. He is trying to get your attention, so please let him.

Hope that helps you get through your day, week, month, year, and life.

with love, Aubrey

Prepping for Chilly Weather

It snowed yesterday, which I wanted to happen just for this post. I'm not kidding, I actually wrote "make it snow!" on my blog to-do list.
I am modeling a few different chilly weather outfits, and I will also be posting the links so that you can all buy these pieces of clothing too! If it's not cold where you live, feel free to disregard the majority of this post!

Outfit details (top to bottom): hat / mustard yellow cropped sweater / pants / booties / scarf / striped shirt / coat / leggings / scarf / socks / (for some of these pieces I couldn't find so, I found something very close to it)

I hope you stay warm this winter and I will see you next week!

xoxo, Aubs

winter records

On a rainy Monday morning, I woke up with a horrible chest cold. My mom and I both thought it would be best if I stayed home from school and got some rest, so that gave me the perfect opportunity to lie on the couch and draft this very post.

I knew I wanted to give you some of my favorite Christmas songs but also some winter songs for when Christmas is over, or for my followers who really aren't the Christmas music type. So I created two wonderful playlist, to give you that vibe of winter, especially if you live in the United States where it has been 60 degrees everywhere. 

I really hope these playlists help bring Christmas and winter vibes into your home, I know they have for me. Now I am going to go hang out with my pup and scarf down some more cough drops.

xoxo, Aubrey

Christmas Decor Galor

Hello little elves! I hope you have all had a fantastic December so far, and continue to have a good December! I personally love December, I always have and always will. I love everything about it except, the cold (I hate cold weather!). Now I would love love love to share some of my Christmas decorations with you! I actually made most of my decorations because I am always in a DIY mood.

Look at that wreath! I made it! By myself! Aren't I amazing? I think I am!

 On my lights, I taped little bows that I bought at Michael's. Also say hi to Riley, my Bamboo plant in the corner! (Yes I name my plants, leave me alone)

I decorated my little tree with macaron ornaments that Trisha bought me last year, a bell that my Aunt Julie sent me for Christmas last year, and a Starbucks ornament (that is also a gift card) that I got from Sarah! Yay for Christmas trees!

Merry Christmas from me, Frank Sinatra and Brian Setzer!

And this little frame I made a while ago! Woo hoo! 

Okay there are some of my Christmas decorations, they honestly are all very easy to make! You can probably google instructions for the wreath! I hope I inspired you to decorate your room or house! See you soon! 

xoxo, Aubs